Adewunmi Samuel Sofomade, the leader of the Abuja-based music band kidnapped along the Lokoja highway, has lamented that the group’s freedom was rebought for a whooping N91 million from the abductors.
The 13-man group fell into the hands of their abductors while returning from a show in Kogi State in December 2023 but they were later freed after a few days in captivity.
However, the band leader, also called Omoba De Jombo Beats, while recounting what they went through stated that the kidnappers later reduced their ransom from N10m to N7 million each before they were released.
He said, “We were 13 that went to perform at a burial ceremony in Itakete Isao, close to Isan-Olu in Kogi State. And we had to move by road because they don’t have an airport in Kogi.
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“We had gone since Thursday. We finished performing at about 5:30 pm on Friday. So we felt that there was still time to return to Abuja. The incident happened just after we have passed Dangote Cement.
“We spent six days with the kidnappers inside a very thick forest and the six days felt like six years because a lot of things happened in that forest.
“They asked for N10 million each. We started begging their commandant that we could not gather N10 million. He later reduced it to N7 million each.
“When we received the information that the money had been completed but there was no cash during the December period, we started looking for cash. They initially agreed that the money be converted to dollars, but their leader later changed his mind and insisted on naira.”
The leader of the gang lamented that his ordeal was a shock to him and members of his crew, while calling on security agencies to ensure that the highways are safe for travelling.